Question on making lead ingots

[trent/OH]

My wife is trying to throw out some cupcake pans, and I was thinking of re-tasking them to make lead ingots. Can I expect the cooled lead to release easily from them, or am I just setting myself up for grief? Any idea how much lead these ingots will weigh if almost full?

 

[David W.]

Never tried a cupcake tin. Should work though and will release the lead. Try just one first. Weight? Maybe about 2 lb.

 

[necchi]

Don't know for sure, but you see cupcake shaped ingots for sale on ebay all the time.
So some folks are useing them to some success.
I'm guessing about a pound and a half per, maybe a bit more, but not two.
I'd stay away from'm if they'er teflon coated. That stuff might burn and it ain't healthy.

 

[brewyak]

I would try just one to start with also. I use and old cast iron cornbread mold that looks like corncobs

 

[oldude]

I tried tin muffin/cupcake pans and had some fall out when cooled and some I had to beat out with a hammer. Switched to cast iron and had no problems. The cast iron pan threw little corncob shaped ingots. Been searching to find a drawing or photo of a rondy(1820) correct ingot to pour for trade that the thread counters don't have heart failure over. Bent

 

[Bill Hall]

I made a bunch of ingots once using a steel muffin pan. It worked great at first, but after about the third pour, some of the ingots would stick and I had to pound them out, which ruined that particular mold. I kept using it until all the molds were smashed in. Probably got 80 to 100 lead muffins before the 12 muffin pan was useless.

I always wondered if you could spray something on the mold to keep the lead from sticking. Maybe graphite or Pam. :idunno: Bill

 

[David W.]

I would try just one to start with also. I use and old cast iron cornbread mold that looks like corncobs

Darn! That is exactly what I use.

 

[David W.]

Don't know for sure, but you see cupcake shaped ingots for sale on ebay all the time.
So some folks are useing them to some success.
I'm guessing about a pound and a half per, maybe a bit more, but not two.
I'd stay away from'm if they'er teflon coated. That stuff might burn and it ain't healthy.

You're right about the teflon.

 

[smokehouseman]

Me too! The thing I like about them is they fit easily into my pot when I go to melt them down.

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Some of the pans are tinned, so the hot lead melts and sticks to the tin which has a lower melting point than lead . . . that leads to hammer damage.

I use a steel muffin pan, comes right out.

 

[D Sanders]

My wife is trying to throw out some cupcake pans, and I was thinking of re-tasking them to make lead ingots. Can I expect the cooled lead to release easily from them, or am I just setting myself up for grief? Any idea how much lead these ingots will weigh if almost full?

I use a cupcake tins all of the time. Works great! :thumbsup: Don't know about the weight, never thought about it much, a couple of pounds I'd guess. :idunno:

HH 60

 

[bwhoffman]

I use a 12 hole aluminum mini muffin pan. Works well but does bend a tad at times when loaded!

Also have an old corn bread cast iron pan with the corn cobs, they fit the pot best for me and I also have one that does heart shape.

By having 3 pans, I can do 3 different leads....

corn cobs are pure soft lead
mini muffins are wheel weight
and the hearts are a mix of stuff, mostly dirty and unknown that the trade gun gets fed!( the TG is a pig and eats anything!)

 

[hoochiepapa]

I'm gonna be suspicious if any of you offer muffins or cupcakes for breakfast! :haha:

 

[FPDoc]

Ive used muffin pans with mixed results, the aluminum ones are easily bent when you toss them upside down to knock the lead out. Agree with the tinned sticking and steel release without too much problems. I have some cast iron teddy-bears to go with the corn cobs.. :grin:

 

[Semisane]

If you know someone who welds, a couple of pieces of angle iron from an old bed frame works great.

 

[Birddog6]

I use a Lee Ingot Mold. But I like your angle iron mold. I would make the ingots shorter, about 3" long max, as they fit in the melting pot easier & melt faster.
I used the cupcake pans ? 30 years ago when started making bullets & sinkers, but they are too large & take to long to melt. (for me) I went to the smaller Lee mold & poured them 1/2 full. This way when using the molten lead & it runs out you just add a small amount to heat & it heats faster & keeps the production going smoother, at least it did for me.

Keith Lisle

 

[123.DieselBenz]

I don't mind the bigger size, I dump one in . . . then it is time for a potty break, and drink of water, by the time I come back, it's back up to temp! :grin:

 

[Otter]

I use both the cast iron cornbread pan and aluminum mini-muffin tin for my ingots. Lead will not stick to either and empty easily. The aluminum muffin tin will bend rather easily though, so you need to be a little careful - on the other hand, it is easy to reshape. If you use a larger muffin/cupcake tin there is nothing says you have to fill to the top. The cornbread pan makes ingots that are very close to 1# ingots when filled level with the top.

 

[JMinnerath]

If you have problems with the lead sticking in the molds, carbon them up.
We always used acetylene, but it can be done with a candle too.

 

[Bruce Bogart]

I use minimuffin pans. Makes just the right size ingots for a Lee production pot, can slip in a bag easily, they release just fine, and they are cheap :grin: I mean thrifty.